Genesis
by SEWcrew
Summary: There are days that everything goes perfect and nothing goes wrong. And then there are days that everything goes wrong and nothing seems to go right at all. Today is such a day. Weir, Sheppard, McKay, Zelenka, Emmagan, Dex, Lorne, Heightmeyer, Beckett


**Authors' Notes:** The Save Elizabeth Weir thread on Gateworld is not dead yet, not by a long shot. And since Torri Higginson respectfully declined to return to the show, the thread was turned into a Celebrate Elizabeth Weir thread. And thus we have been posting art, vids and fanfiction. As we progressed we decided to do something different every month. I, Falcon Horus, suggested we'd do a round robin centering around Elizabeth Weir. It became much more than just about Elizabeth. We set our story in the city of Atlantis and went from there.

7 people worked on this story - Falcon Horus, SMBBooks, Marielabbott, IrishEyes, JohnLIz4Ever, Eri13 & ShortAngel

Eri13 checked for continuity and general writing. Reiko was our beta and checked for spelling, grammar and punctuation.

I hope you will enjoy this old school Atlantis fic, and feedback is always appreciated. Now go read!

* * *

**Genesis**

The city of Atlantis glowed in the moonlight, the ocean below gently rolling its waves against the city's piers; above it all, on one of the balconies, Elizabeth Weir sighed.

Today had brought another close call. _Too_ damn close, truth be known. Elizabeth watched the gentle movement of the water, wishing she could replace the turmoil in her heart with the peace it exuded.

Today - in a matter of moments - she had almost lost two of her closest friends. She knew from experience that after days like today, peace would be very slow in coming, and sleep - when it came - would be broken.

Even now, the events of the day played out vividly in her mind's eye. It had all started so innocently - so ordinary, like any other day. She hadn't known that morning what was to come - and how it would change her forever.

It had all started with their usual morning briefing…

--/--

"Good morning," Elizabeth greeted her favorite team as they filed into her office - some more awake than others, it seemed, as she noticed McKay enter with the largest cup of coffee he had been able to find.

"Long night, Rodney?" she asked amusedly. "Or are you just ensuring your share of the coffee ration before _Daedalus_ brings the next batch?"

Rodney stared at the cup in his hand for a moment, before tossing her a sarcastic smile. "Funny. Sure, take jabs at the guy who's been up all night, working on something that will make you sublimely happy."

"Oh?" she said. "And what might that be?" Out of the corner of her vision, she noticed Sheppard roll his eyes.

Rodney beamed liked a proud father. "Actually, it's so amazing you need to see it in action!"

"I'm sure it is," Elizabeth replied, ignoring a snort coming from Sheppard's direction.

"Will we need to inform Dr. Beckett to keep a team ready in case something goes wrong?" Teyla inquired carefully, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Ronon smiled while Rodney glared, having the audacity to look affronted. "What makes you think something's going to go wrong?"

"Because, Rodney, whenever you find a shiny new toy, somebody usually ends up hurt," Sheppard replied.

Elizabeth held up a hand to stop the impending bickerfest. "Gentlemen, please. Let's save the witty banter for later and get down to business. Rodney, tell us about the, um - 'shiny new toy'."

"Are we all speaking English here? Did I not just say you need to _see_ it to believe it?" Rodney sniped, glaring at John. "It's in my lab." He whirled around, nearly running into the glass partition at the edge of the door frame. Elizabeth raised a hand to her mouth, stifling a smile, as he paused for a moment, raised a finger, and adjusted to step through the door.

"You really haven't gone to bed, have you?" she asked, giving John an amused look. He lifted a playful eyebrow in response as Rodney turned sideways, coffee sloshing from his cup. "As a matter of fact, no. Why, is it obvious?"

As John opened his mouth to lob another jab at Rodney, Elizabeth briefly laid a gentle hand on his forearm, as if to say _"Don't rile him up, he's jittery enough as it is."_ She walked past John and followed in line behind Rodney. "Oh, no reason. I just know you have a tendency to forget to sleep when you're focused on something. So, are you going to give us any details before we get there or do we have to wait in suspense?"

"Yeah, Sheppard," Ronon chimed in. "You were crappier than usual at sparring practice today, what's up?"

John tried to look innocent and failed miserably. Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at him. "You're in on this too?"

"I only saw it the one time," he hedged with a sheepish expression on his face, but Rodney interrupted him.

"You're going to _love_ this," Rodney said, pausing with a huge grin in front of the lab door. He waved them into a lab empty of people, except for a very exhausted Radek Zelenka, who was rubbing his bloodshot eyes.

"Radek?" Elizabeth glanced at the Czech. "Are you okay?" The scientist mumbled something incoherent, throwing evil glares in Rodney's direction every so often.

Rodney ignored Radek's stares and hurried over to the work table. "We found this in our last search of the lower level laboratories. We knew it was functional when Colonel Gene Boy walked by it and it lit up. So we brought it back here for study."

John muttered something about only being appreciated for his genetic makeup.

They gathered around the table and looked at the strange object sitting innocently before them. Not much bigger than an ostrich egg and about the same shape, it was metallic silver and completely smooth.

"What is it?" Ronon asked.

"That's what I said," John replied, crossing his arms.

"We figured out some really interesting properties last night," said Rodney excitedly. Radek tossed him a dark look. "For example, when anyone with the gene gets near -" he approached, laying a hand on the egg-like object, "- it ticks."

The room went quiet for a moment as a subtle ticking sound filled the small space. Elizabeth took a step back, startled. "Rodney, are you sure that thing's not a -"

"Bomb?" He replied, a smirk on his face. "It's _better _than a bomb," he continued excitedly. "It's a way to destroy the galaxy as we know it!"

"Why would we want something that could destroy a galaxy?" Elizabeth asked, alarmed.

"Well, not necessarily a 'galaxy' per se, but what about whole fleets of hive ships?"

"Did you not once destroy three-quarters of a solar system looking for a weapon of that nature?" Teyla inquired. Rodney squirmed as all eyes turned on him. "That wasn't supposed to happen."

Elizabeth frowned. "Perhaps we should just leave your new toy alone."

"But it's safe," Rodney protested. "We have been scanning and testing all night. I'm 100 -" Elizabeth frowned. "- 99.99 sure it's safe."

"Maybe we should just -" John started diplomatically, just as the device started ticking again - this time, without anyone having touched it. A faint glow appeared at the top. "McKay?"

Rodney hovered over the object, using a data pad to scan the surface, a worried look on his face. Radek started muttering in Czech. Everyone else in the room took one or two not-so-subtle steps back from the object and glanced around nervously to each other.

"Rodney, what's going on?"

Rodney looked up at Elizabeth's inquiry, a panicked look on his face. In a rush, he said, "I don't know. We were certain it was safe to test. All of our initial scans showed no overt threats to the city's systems or personnel. Right before I headed up to the briefing, I had Radek initiate a probe scan of the interior using a code I stayed up all night working on. It should have been perfectly -"

John interrupted him as the object began to emit an angry red glow. "McKay, FOCUS - is this thing on meltdown or what?"

"I don't - it didn't do anything like this last night!" Rodney exclaimed, a panicked expression on his face. "_Zelenka_! What did you touch?"

Zelenka shook his head. "I didn't touch anything! It was fine until you came into the room."

"Rodney," John hissed, "what -"

The object released a high-pitched whine. Elizabeth's hands flew to her ears as the rest of the group turned away. There was a brilliant flash as a bright white light flooded the room, blinding them.

A second later, the room had gone dark. Elizabeth straightened, trying to blink away the spots dancing through her vision. She felt John shift beside her.

"Rodney," he drawled slowly, in his no-nonsense commander's voice, "what the _hell_ just happened?"

"Rodney," Elizabeth demanded, when John's question did not spur the scientist into answering. Rodney looked forlornly at her and simply said, "oh, crap."

"Oh _crap_?" John answered, an incredulous expression on his face. "We just got blasted with the light bulb from hell and all you can say is 'oh crap?'"

"Well," McKay replied, lifting his chin. "You look fine, I look fine - I think - so, no harm done?"

John shook his head, hands on his hips. "What _is_ that thing, McKay? Why did it just do that?"

"The best we can make out," replied Zelenka, giving Rodney a perplexed look, "was that it is some kind of experimental device used by the Ancients to assess populations."

"Assess populations?! You said this thing was capable of being used as a weapon!"

"Well, that's what we were trying to figure out. We knew that it was used by the Ancients to study populations - at least that's what our initial downloads have told us - and that it obviously was intended to lead to something," Rodney said, somewhat excited. "That's why the gene factors in. Maybe us both being here trigged it somehow."

"Wow. Just like everything else in Atlantis," John said. "But what does it _do_?"

Rodney shrugged. "Look, we don't know the particulars yet. But everything suggests that its function could be instrumental in the war against the Wraith. The chances of it doing us any harm are fairly minimal."

"_Fairly_ minimal? Rodney, if I find out I just sacrificed any chance of having grandchildren because of your insatiable desire to show off -"

"Look, I said we'd tested in thoroughly, I -"

"Rodney!" Elizabeth said, her voice suddenly sharp. "Whatever it does, you need to start figuring it out_. Now_."

"Well, obviously, but - why?"

She turned to him, green eyes wide. John's hands dropped from his hips and he took a step forward to where Ronon and Teyla lay, half-hidden in the shadows, slumped to the floor.

"_Muj bože_," Zelenka muttered softly as John and Elizabeth rushed to their sides.

--/--

"What's taking so long?" Rodney paced the area outside the infirmary door. He glanced at Elizabeth, who stood leaning back against the wall, eyes focused on the infirmary.

From his position beside her John replied, "I'm sure as soon as there is something to report, we'll -"

"Carson!" Elizabeth interrupted him. "How are they?"

"Well." Carson's brogue was thicker than usual, Elizabeth noted immediately, revealing his heightened emotions. "I truthfully don't bloody know. I don't know what exactly that thing _has_ done to them, or what it is _still_ doing to them. All I can tell you is that I don't _think_ they are in immediate danger of death."

"'Still doing to them'," she asked. "What do you mean by that?"

"Even though they appear to be unconscious, their brains are active. _Very_ active," Carson elaborated as best as he could. "As if they were awake. Their brainwaves are off the chart."

"Are they dreaming?" Elizabeth asked.

"Aye, I think so," Carson replied, worry evident in his voice.

"Do they know they are dreaming or do they think whatever's happening to them is real?"

"That, my dear, I'm not sure about. Are you thinking this might be similar to what you experienced when Niam infected you?"

"If it is, Carson, then we have got to find a way to get them out of it, _now_!" Elizabeth had started to pace back in forth in the infirmary waiting room. "Please go back in and do what you can to keep them stable and comfortable." She fixed Rodney with a level stare. "You and I are going back to the lab where you found that infernal object and start looking for something that will translate _exactly_ what that damn thing is."

John looked ready to protest. Elizabeth turned to him, saying, "I need you to put together a guard on Rodney's lab. Pick people who do NOT have the Ancient gene. I don't want to run the risk of that thing activating again. Have Zelenka get some sort of force field up around it. When you've got that done, come join Rodney and me. We'll need all the help we can get."

--/--

Elizabeth scanned the data pad before her, looking for anything resembling the object sitting before Rodney and Zelenka on the laboratory table.

There was nothing listed in the Ancient Database that even remotely resembled whatever it was that Rodney had discovered. If the Ancients had developed it as Rodney first thought, it was one of the many hidden mysteries they'd refused to acknowledge. And whenever that happened, it was usually not a good sign.

It was frustrating to know that perhaps the Ancients had stumbled upon something so dangerous, even _they_ wouldn't bother completing the experiment.

Of course, they'd tried abandoning the Replicator project, too. And she knew firsthand how that had turned out.

Her chief scientist looked as frustrated as she felt, tapping furiously on his own data pad, brow furrowed in concentration. Rodney's temperament left a lot to be desired from time to time, but his expertise in situations like this - particularly when a friend's life was on the line - was unmatched.

"Anything?" she inquired tentatively, knowing what the response would more than likely be.

The frustration in Rodney's voice was quickly evident. "No. All I see is 'population report, population report'. Every time I think I'm getting close to something, it turns out to be a dead end."

John, who had taken up Elizabeth's job of pacing, had been on a continuous circuit of the room's perimeter ever since he'd arrived approximately two hours ago. Not sure what he was supposed to be looking for, he just kept going in circles, which wasn't much different than what Elizabeth and Rodney were doing.

Out of frustration, he had started to thump the wall with his hand as he walked.

Elizabeth and Rodney both looked up, ready to tell him the sound was driving them nuts. They stopped when they realized John's touching the wall had activated a terminal screen and massive amounts of ancient text were scrolling across it.

John, seeing their stunned looks, turned around to face the wall. "Did I do that?"

Elizabeth stepped closer to the screen and watched the ancient text. Rodney was right behind her, his mouth opening and closing like a fish on dry land.

"This is…" Elizabeth began, though there was too much information to keep up with.

"Going too fast?" John carefully suggested.

"No. No." Elizabeth shook her head, touching the screen. "Oh."

"_What?_"

She turned to him, forehead wrinkled in confusion. "This _is_ Ancient. But it's strange - it's got other characters mixed in it. They're not like any version of Ancient I've seen before, but it's vaguely familiar." She turned to Rodney, who was peering over her shoulder. "Do you think it came from the egg?"

He squinted. "Possible. It could have transmitted to the system when it shot out that beam of light."

"What does it mean?" John wore a look of frustration, glancing between her and Rodney. "Is there anything in it to help Ronon and Teyla?"

"I don't know," she said, turning back to the screen. "Let me take a few minutes to look at it."

"You don't need a few minutes," Rodney said, eyes wide. "You've _have_ seen it before."

Elizabeth turned back to the screen, studying the characters more intently. Her breath caught as a few of the strange characters jumped out, becoming terribly familiar. "Oh my God."

"What is it?" John was studying her face, worried.

"It's -" she glanced at Rodney, whose horrified expression matched her own. "If I had to guess, I would say it's -"

"- an ancient form of Wraith," Rodney finished grimly.

"You've got to be kidding me!" John exclaimed, slamming his hand down on the nearest console. "Why is it _everything_ bad in this damn galaxy always comes back to rest on their buggy asses?"

Elizabeth was still scanning the rapidly scrolling text, frantically trying to keep up with the characters scrolling across the screen. "What's more disturbing to me is that the entries seemed to be conjointly mixed between the Wraith and Ancient text."

Rodney and John both looked at her in shock. Rodney stammered, "You mean -"

Elizabeth turned to look at both men. "Yes, Rodney, it looks like the Wraith and the Ancients were working together on this project," she said grimly.

"How is that possible?" McKay stammered. "I thought we established the Wraith and the Ancients were mortal enemies. As in shoot first, don't ask questions at _all_."

"Everything we've discovered or been told suggests that. But then again, we would never have considered the Wraith as allies, and yet -" Elizabeth stopped, a bitter taste in her mouth. She knew she didn't need to continue; both men wore expressions of remorse. "For all we know, this experiment could have been part of a temporary alliance."

"So, then, what came first," John asked, nodding towards the metal object. "The truce or the metal egg?"

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "Good question."

"Wait." Rodney raised his hand as a particular strain of text caught his attention. "Oh no." His face fell as he took in the words before him. "Can I be the first to say we're absolutely screwed?"

Before John or Elizabeth could ask Rodney what he meant, everyone's radio buzzed and Carson's voice came on the line. "Elizabeth, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I think you need to come to the infirmary."

"Carson, we're on the verge of a discovery on this end, can you apprise me via radio?"

"No, I'm sorry. I think it's best you see this for yourself. I wouldn't ask if I didn't think it were extremely important."

Elizabeth pinched the bridge of her nose as she listened to Carson, desperately trying to keep the impending migraine at bay. Sighing, she said, "Alright, I'm on my way."

As she rushed out of the room, she said over her shoulder, "You two stay here and keep working. Rodney, I'm keeping a channel open on the way to the infirmary, start talking and tell me why we're screwed."

Elizabeth fruitlessly tried to rub away the band of tension encircling her brow as she listened to Rodney's voice on the channel. "Well, isn't it obvious? If the Ancients and the Wraith were working on this thing together, it means that the Wraith were already a civilized society capable of doing research. But if that's the case, then why would the Wraith work with the Ancients on something that could be used to destroy them?"

She heard John's voice tentatively ask, "So, not an Ancient anti-Wraith weapon."

"Not unless the Wraith were suicidal. As far as we can tell, the Ancients and the Wraith were always enemies. They'd have no reason to assist the Ancients with anything - unless they were trying to double-cross them."

"It's not like they haven't tried it before."

"Wait a minute," Elizabeth said sharply, stopping. Some of the nearby scientists looked at her in confusion, trying to read what new disaster was possibly about to befall their city. "You're telling me that thing was a Wraith trap? An _Ancient _Wraith trap?"

She turned, trying her best to give the scientists a reassuring smile, and continued towards the infirmary.

"Maybe. I won't be certain until I get the chance to study it some more and find out if it's true," Rodney finished, sounding exasperated.

"Wait, you're guessing?" John's voice came across the comm with a tinge of disbelief.

"_Hello_?!" Rodney stopped speaking for a minute; Elizabeth imagined that he was waving his hand towards the Ancient text still scrolling across the wall. "Not a lot of hypothesizing required."

"So this message, it's like, what, the egg's black box or something?" John said a minute later.

"It's -"

"Oh my god," Elizabeth gasped, silencing their argument. She'd reached the infirmary and stared in horror at the scene before her.

"Elizabeth?" breathed John, his voice quiet. "What's wrong?"

"Restrain them!" Carson's voice boomed. Teyla and Ronon were on beds located side-by-side, thrashing wildly - or convulsing, thought Elizabeth grimly - their eyes in an unnatural unblinking stare and a strange, high-pitched noise that was distinctly inhuman rising continuously from their throats.

Elizabeth stayed out of the way of the doctors and nurses that rushed to obey Carson's orders, but was able to get close enough to the frantic Scotsman to ask, "Carson, what--"

He anticipated her question. "I don't know! They just started the weird vocalization when I called you, and now this!" He turned away to one of his nurses when suddenly Teyla and Ronon went silent, limp on the beds. The indicators on the monitors above the beds went flat, and Carson yelled, "they're crashing!"

"Elizabeth? What the hell's going on?" John's voice came across the comm in a panic. She turned to Carson, wide-eyed, as he rushed to Teyla's side. "Give me the crash cart - now!"

The infirmary flew into action, techs rushing around as they tended the two patients. Elizabeth hugged the corner near the door, watching helplessly as Carson and his team worked on two of the people closest to her.

There was a sudden, steady beep and Carson straightened, the chaos of the past few minutes fading into an eerie calm. The doctor moved to the other bed, checking Ronon's still inhuman eyes, which gazed up at the ceiling in a catatonic manner. He relaxed for a moment, turning to her. "They're both stable for now. But if you asked me what was happening, I couldn't tell you at this moment."

Elizabeth paused, trying to find her voice.

"How did this happen?" John's voice startled her. He was standing at her shoulder; she hadn't even heard him come in.

"And what the hell is _that_?" snapped Rodney from behind them. They turned, glancing at the scientist, who was staring at a dark corner of the infirmary. Elizabeth followed his gaze, her heart taking an anxious leap as she took in what he was seeing.

She couldn't be sure, but just beyond the shadow of the infirmary's lamps, she thought she could make out a very _familiar_ sight. "That looks like..."

"- the inside of a Wraith ship," John said grimly.

"How did it get here?" Carson spun around, finding himself drawn to it. Curiosity killed the cat; it would be the death of him, too. He stopped a few feet away, squinting against the darkness. "It's real, alright."

"Carson, maybe you shouldn't -" Elizabeth started.

"_Doctor Beckett_!" one of the nurses called out in a panic. They turned to find Teyla and Ronon sitting up, staring at the corner.

John, who had called a security team to the infirmary as soon as he'd gotten there, silently instructed them with hand signals to quietly enter the infirmary and guard the perimeter.

Elizabeth left the doorway and started to walk towards the infirmary beds. John grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "I'm not so sure that's a good idea. We have no idea what state Ronon and Teyla are in right now and -"

"Exactly, which is why I'm going to initiate communication with them so we can assess the situation better." Pulling out of his hold on her arm, she gingerly walked over to stand closer to the beds. John followed in close behind her and motioned to the guards to be on full alert. "Teyla, Ronon, it's Elizabeth. Can you hear me?"

To her surprise, Teyla and Ronon opened their mouths in unison, and the eerie noise issued forth again. She drew back, but the noise began to modulate and change frequency, as if someone was tuning a radio. It finally stopped when their voices were again within their normal, human range. And suddenly they spoke, again in unison.

"I can hear you."

Elizabeth stepped back; she could feel the tension coursing through John. Rodney stared at his two friends in fearful amazement.

"Teyla? Ronon? How do you feel?" Carson asked, before she could continue.

The two people on the bed turned reflexively to him, perfectly synchronized. "Fine."

They moved, both legs sliding over the side of the bed in unison. Elizabeth heard the click of safeties being turned off; from her periphery she made out John's own piece raised level with his eyes, just over her shoulder.

"There is no need to be afraid," the voices continued as the bodies rose. Behind them, the makeshift wall of tissue pulsed and shuddered slightly.

Elizabeth's eyebrows creased. "Who are you?"

"Wouldn't the more appropriate question be 'what are you'?" Rodney hissed. She threw him a dirty look.

Suddenly Teyla gasped, breaking time with Ronon. Her eyes searched the room, finding the small, tense group before her. "Elizabeth?" she whispered. "It's not - it's -"

"Teyla?" Elizabeth said, taking a step forward.

"Elizabeth?" Teyla looked shaky and uncertain, as if she had woken from a strange dream to find herself in a strange place.

"Teyla, you're on Atlantis. You and Ronon were affected by a device we were studying. Initially we thought it was Ancient, but now we think it may be more closely linked to the Wraith."

Teyla nodded, swallowing hard, her mouth a grim line. "Well, that would explain the dreams I've been having then."

"Dreams?" Elizabeth asked, watching her friend cautiously. Teyla's brow knit in puzzlement as she took in John and the rest of the military guard, who still had their guns drawn.

"Yes - what has happened? John?"

"You've been kinda - _different_ - the last few minutes, Teyla," John said awkwardly, lowering his gun. "It's nothing personal." He nodded toward Ronon.

The Athosian turned, her eyes growing wide at the sight of her friend, still motionless and bearing a robotic appearance.

"What kind of dreams were you having, Teyla?" Carson asked.

"I cannot say for sure," Teyla still, her eyes still on Ronon. "They were strange - very similar to a Wraith vision."

Elizabeth glanced at John worriedly. "Similar to your Wraith sense?"

Teyla nodded.

Elizabeth drew in a breath. "I think we need to call Dr. Heightmeyer."

--/--

Kate had been informed on the situation and had immediately made her way down to the infirmary. Carson had insisted Teyla stay so he could keep an eye on her. When she entered, the Athosian was sitting on a bed, staring ahead, once in a while glancing at Ronon who was still looking catatonic.

"Teyla," the expedition psychologist smiled reassuringly as she took a seat on the edge of the bed.

As Kate began to speak to Teyla, Carson caught Elizabeth's eye and motioned her towards his office. Elizabeth followed him, leaving the two women talking softly.

"What is it, Carson?" she asked.

He sighed. "After I initially examined Teyla and Ronon, the only unusual symptoms they displayed were unconsciousness and this dream-like state Teyla mentioned. But after -" he paused and swallowed, indicating he, too, felt keenly how closely they had come to losing their friends. "But after they crashed, I examined their throats, remember? They both have abnormal growths, which I'm sure is how they were able to produce ... those sounds. I took tissue samples, and it is of Wraith origin, though the DNA is slightly different than any other sample we've ever taken."

"Is it spreading? What are we looking at here, Carson?" Elizabeth asked.

"I don't know yet. I hope Dr. Heightmeyer's examination will be able to tell us more about their psychological state. Right now I have everyone working on this, but I fear we will have to wait and see what the next step is before we find a way to stop it - whatever it bloody is!" Carson's voice rose slightly in frustration.

Elizabeth patted Carson's arm gently. "I know you and your staff are doing everything you can to find a solution. I'm going to go back and work with Rodney and John to see how the data translation is going. Please keep me posted on how your patients are doing." She smiled encouragingly at him. He nodded, a determined line setting his jaw. "Aye, I will."

As Elizabeth headed out of the infirmary, she caught Kate's eye. Kate nodded, as if to say, _'I'm on it. I'll take care of them, too.'_

Bolstered by Kate's reassuring look, she went off to find Rodney and John. It was time to get down to business.

--/--

Rodney had returned to the laboratory and resumed his work on the mysterious object by the time Elizabeth made her way back down to them. John watched him work, leaning against a wall, more alert and anxious than she had seen him in a while.

"Well?" was all she asked, crossing her arms.

Rodney looked up at her, his face a mixture of frustration and annoyance. "Well, _nothing._ Because at this particular moment, as I'm _trying_ to find a way to explain this - this _thing_, people keep _interrupting_. Which means I don't have a chance to work, which means the longer it's going to take the 'well' to turn into 'something.'"

"He's a little upset," John remarked casually, though it lacked his usual snap.

"Well, here's something that might help - have you scanned it for any kind of bioenergy -examined it as if it containing a living organism?" Elizabeth asked.

Rodney made a face. "Of course. Not extensively, but enough to detect a sentient being."

"Maybe you should try again," she said.

"Why? It's -"

"Rodney, just try it again." Her voice dropped a notch, ringing with an authoritative tone. He frowned, not bothering to ask any more questions as he moved to the far side of the lab, presumably for particular equipment. He must have been really worried not to request all the details.

"What makes you think it might be alive?" John asked, eyeing the egg warily.

She took a breath. Of all the people on the base, John was the last she wanted to share this information with. "Carson said it appears that Teyla and Ronon might be mutating. Into something Wraith-like."

Her co-commander froze, eyes widening. She could almost see the memories of his own experience flashing through his mind. "_Mutating_?"

She bit down on her lip. "Yes, John. Just like you did."

John exploded, just as Elizabeth had predicted. "Dammit, Elizabeth, we can't let that happen!"

Rodney's head came up. "Look, I'm working as fast as I can. I'll run the bioscans Elizabeth is asking for. I should have some definitive results from that in the next hour." Rodney sounded nervous and Elizabeth wasn't sure _what_ he was more afraid of - John's wrath or not being able to find a solution.

"Speed it up, McKay. Get us something faster than that."

"John, Rodney's working as fast as he can. I'm going to help him with the translation as much as I can. We will find something."

He started pacing back and forth, a dark look on his face. "I don't want them to go through that, Elizabeth. No one should have to go through that!"

"John, why don't you go to the infirmary and keep an eye on things there. Check in on your team members. Get an update from Carson. I will stay here and work with Rodney."

John turned to argue, but catching the look on her face, sighed instead. "Fine, but keep me posted with what you find on those bioscans." John left and Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief as the tension level in the room dropped. As Rodney began the bioscans, she pulled up the nearest data pad and started reviewing the Ancient and Wraith text again.

She knew their latest dilemma must be especially hard for John to deal with. That incident with the Wraith mutation nearly tore him apart. She knew how hard it had hit him and his recovery from that horrifying experience had been a long, arduous one. He had kept his mandatory appointments with Kate, but only Elizabeth knew the true extent of what he'd gone through. When Kate had told Elizabeth that John was only participating in their sessions to the barest extent possible, Elizabeth had taken matters into her own hands and sought John out. It had taken a while, but he'd finally opened up and shared his experience with her. The fear and pain he'd gone through while under the influence of the Wraith genetics was awful, even just to experience vicariously. And now, he was potentially going to watch two of his closest friends go through something similar.

She scanned the lines of text, desperately searching for some sort of clue in the pages of data before her. Everything was a jumble - numbers, planet information from what she could make out - but nothing that resembled a log book or a work journal. Just when she thought her eyes were going to explode or that she was going to go cross-eyed, she located a small passage in Ancient. _Our latest tests upon the species have proved enlightening…we have discovered their genetic superiority rivals those seeded by the Creators. Initial assessment requires further experimentation…_

"Elizabeth?" Rodney's excited voice interrupted her thoughts. "I think you're going to want to see this. I'm transferring this data to Carson. We may have just found one small silver lining in this huge monstrosity of a cloud."

"You show me yours, Rodney, and I'll show you mine," Elizabeth replied. "I just found something too."

Rodney looked up, his eyes wide for a moment, his mind playing catch up. Elizabeth frowned, tilting her head a little in anticipation. "Oh right!" He turned to his data pad. "Look!" He pointed at a jumbled mess of lines and dots on his screen.

"What?" Elizabeth sounded a little more annoyed than she had wanted to.

"Sorry." Rodney excused himself, tapping away on his data pad. "It's alive." He held it up again. The patterns were clearer now, looking like something Elizabeth had seen before. "The egg … it's _alive_."

"Alive? Didn't you and Zelenka stay up testing this thing and now you are telling me that it is alive?" Elizabeth knew her voice was sharp.

"Well, not _exactly _alive. More like it has a sensory artificial intelligence. It senses things as though it _were _alive. That's why it didn't react to us the way it did to Teyla and Ronon. It wasn't because it was genetically activated by the Ancient genes - that just broke the seal off of it. I think this thing responded to their presence because they are _Pegasus galaxy natives_," Rodney said.

"You mean this thing was designed to react to the genetic code of Pegasus galaxy inhabitants?" Elizabeth asked, looking surprised. "How can it do that?"

"In the same way that the Ancient technology reacts to the ATA genes, you know, people like Sheppard and me."

"Technically, just Colonel Sheppard," said Zelenka as he entered the room. "Since Rodney had the gene artificially implanted."

"Yes, yes, _tomayto_, _tomahto_," Rodney said, impatiently waving his hand. "Point is, this _thing_ appears to be reacting_ only _to the DNA of the Pegasus galaxy natives."

"Why wouldn't it react to people from Earth?" Elizabeth asked. "Not all of us have the ATA gene."

"Do you have any idea how many billions of genetic markers we have in our DNA strands? Any one of them could prevent the egg from reacting to us."

"Or, there could be one specific one that makes it react _only_ to the inhabitants of the Pegasus galaxy," Zelenka added.

"Wait – but Ronon and Teyla are from two completely different planets in the galaxy. How could their DNA share genetic markers?" Elizabeth asked. "Wouldn't that be almost impossible?"

"It should be. Unless..." Rodney's eyes widened as he glanced over at Zelenka.

"Unless _what_?"

"Unless we were correct in our assumption that the Ancients _did _have something to do with this. We know it appeared to be a trap set by the Wraith, but what if the Ancients knew about that - knew what they were trying to do?"

"They wouldn't," Zelenka whispered. "That would be…"

Elizabeth stared between them worriedly. "Would be what?"

"We said this thing was a control weapon - one that could destroy the galaxy as we know it. Not by murder, but by mutation. What if the Ancients knew what it was, and turned it to their own advantage?"

"They changed the trap?"

"No." Rodney's eyes were wide - _horrified_. "They changed the target."

"They may not have had everything they needed to understand how the energy used here targeted the genetic code," said Zelenka quietly. "We've seen it on a small scale with the energy given off by radioactive materials - mutations caused by prolonged exposure - but the precision this energy beam appears to be far beyond anything we've uncovered. I still don't understand how it is affecting such specific transformations based on genetic code."

"And if the Ancients - who were impatient by nature - wanted to test which parts of their own code were effected, it would be much easier to take subjects similar to their DNA and test how it affected them rather than restructure the device. If we think they seeded Pegasus like they did the Milky Way, the markers for the population of the galaxy would be -" Rodney stopped, unable to finish.

"Could they do that?" asked Zelenka quietly. "Would they have had the capability?"

Rodney shook his head. "How else do you explain what happened to Teyla and Ronon?"

Elizabeth's hand trembled as she raised it to her mouth. "But they couldn't have. That would be -"

"A mass sacrifice," Radek finished. "The sacrifice of an entire galaxy to preserve their own DNA."

--/--

Kate leaned against the wall, watching Teyla sleep. The Athosian had talked, and she had listened. She knew their condition would get worse before it got better. She spotted Carson coming out of the nearby lab, hunched over his computer, muttering softly, and pushed herself away from the wall to meet him halfway.

"Carson?" She said.

"Ah, Dr. Heightmeyer," he said, his accent tripping lightly over her name. "Any progress?"

She smiled softly, interlocking her fingers in front of her chest. "I was going to ask you the same question."

He shook his head. "I'm afraid I have no idea right now what might be causing this. Until Rodney figures out what that thing was that caused it, I believe we'll have to wait and see."

"I see."

Carson studied her for a moment, interest replacing weariness. "What is it?"

She frowned. "Well, I can't be certain, yet. But based on my conversation with Teyla a little earlier, I'm afraid we may not be able to wait too long. Teyla has always been a little timid about her Wraith abilities - almost afraid of herself, of what she might become. But this ability - she doesn't display the same type of fear."

"You think she's becoming used to it, then?"

"That may be one explanation. Or, it may be that her mind is more accepting of this change. Subconsciously, she may see this transformation as an improvement, rather than a danger."

"If what Rodney says is correct, genetically that is what her body is supposed to believe. Her feelings of acceptance may _be_ the greater danger. But at least she's aware of what is happening to her," sighed Carson. "Ronon hasn't said a word since whatever connection between them broke."

"I'm not so sure the connection has been severed," Kate replied. "Teyla says she senses--faintly--at the back of her mind, a presence. She said it reminds her partly of Ronon. Whatever this connection is, I think it's just diminished at present, not cut."

Carson stopped himself from sighing again. "Well, love, then we need to find out what this connection is on top of all our other questions."

--/--

John drummed his fingers against his chest, quickening his pace. He'd already spent too much time bouncing back and forth from the lab to the infirmary, and he needed to go somewhere people didn't throw the words 'experimentation' and 'mutation' around like ping-pong balls. Elizabeth had left them hours earlier, claiming to have other things to do – he had suspected she wanted to retire someplace away from Rodney's persistent barking and quietly study the material the scientists and doctors had already gathered. He'd been able to understand most of what they were talking about, but it mattered little when he thought of Teyla and Ronon, transforming before their eyes.

An uncomfortable itch rose in his throat; he could only barely remember those final moments of being human, of losing his sanity. In between the foggy memories he saw Elizabeth's face leaning over him; Teyla's concerned touch at the entrance of a darkened cave, Carson pacing back and forth in the infirmary. The rest was a jumble of wild thoughts; of blazing, uncontrollable anger and base, instinctual need.

He didn't want them to have to go through that.

The rest of Atlantis seemed unusually silent; the scientists and military keeping a cautious ear open for whatever latest development had threatened the expedition. Chuck, from his position at the dialer, gave him a short nod as he walked by, down the glass hallway into Elizabeth's open office.

She looked up from the papers she was studying, her eyes tight and weary with concern.

"Any progress?" he asked softly, coming to a rest in the chair before her desk.

Elizabeth glanced at him, bringing her hands up to her face, pinching the bridge of her nose. She sighed. "I don't know. Maybe. No."

"Better than McKay 'cause he didn't even have a maybe." He tilted his head a little, trying to ease the tension. When she didn't smile at his lame attempt at a joke, he shrugged and leaned back. "Heard anything from Carson? Or Kate?"

"No, I haven't." She followed his example and leaned back in her chair, trying in vain to relax a little. "I should go down there and check up on Teyla and Ro -"

"Dr. Weir!" Chuck was suddenly standing in the doorway, interrupting Elizabeth midsentence. "There's a problem in the infirmary."

Elizabeth quickly stood and wordlessly the two started to make their way towards the infirmary. As they drew near, they paused for a moment, hearing slightly raised voices from down the hall.

"Ronon, lad, I'm sorry, but I really need you to calm down a mite and let me just -"

The rest of Carson's words were drowned out as Ronon yelled. "Let me go!"

John and Elizabeth ran the last few steps, rounding the corner and coming to an abrupt halt as they witnessed the scene before them.

Four of the medical staff was feebly trying to restrain Ronon. Carson stood in front of him blocking the doorway. Teyla and Kate hovered in the background, casting worried glances between Ronon and Carson. Much of the medical equipment had been roughly pushed aside or flipped over in the scuffle.

John quickly edged into the room and said in a firm but calming voice, "Ronon, what's up buddy?"

"I SAID _LET GO_!" Ronon sent his restrainers tumbling, a wild, frenzied look in his eye. Elizabeth heard a subtle click as John edged the safety off his pistol.

"Ronon..."

The Satedan turned towards them, and for the first time Elizabeth noticed the scratches running up and down his arms--deep scratches, that had left sharp red lines across his dark skin. Ronon's nails were tinted red.

She gazed at him in concern as he walked slowly across the room. John raised his pistol, glancing at her for a second, before squaring himself again the approaching man. "Ronon ... listen, pal, I know you're not feeling like yourself, but -"

"H-help me, Sheppard," he growled. "They're driving me crazy." His fierce blue eyes locked onto the barrel of John's pistol. "Stop it. Please."

"Ronon..." John shook his head, looking stunned. "If you're asking what I think you're asking the short answer is no."

"Sheppard, you went through this!" Ronon paused, a tremor running through his body. "You know what this is like. Please."

The gun in John's hand trembled. Ronon suddenly straightened, his huge frame towering over the small crowd huddled inside the room. "Too late."

He leaped suddenly across the room, straight at John, a wicked grin spreading across his face.

Elizabeth could not stop herself from flinching when she heard the gun fire. Ronon jerked to a stop, gazing down at his wounded leg. Teyla gasped in surprised pain as she clutched her own leg, as if she had been the one to take a bullet. Ronon opened his mouth to speak, and once again the eerie, inhuman noise issued from his throat.

She watched in horror as the Satedan arced backwards, the sound growing louder until she was forced to cover her ears.

John stood, shell shocked, his pistol still raised and pointed at Ronon. She'd never seen her military commander looking so _uncertain_ in his course of action.

Glass bottles began to shatter around them. Elizabeth took a step towards John, reaching out a hand, when Ronon suddenly stopped, his head snapping forward. She felt suddenly trapped, caught in his intense gaze, with nowhere to go. It was a look she'd seen before - John's eyes had borne the same look, the same unblinking, merciless stare, right before he'd tried to strangle her.

Elizabeth took a step back just as John edged inbetween her and Ronon. She chanced a quick glance at John's face as he moved into position. The uncertainty he'd shown a few moments earlier was gone now. Now, there was only grim determination.

John's voice was stern and commanding as he said, "Ronon, get a hold of yourself. You've got to fight this. You are one of the strongest people I know. Now's the time to prove it to me."

Ronon cast a disparaging look at John and began to advance. His gaze fixated on Elizabeth. She squared her shoulders, fighting the panic rising in her gut and said, as forcefully as she could, "Ronon, fight it off. We are your friends, your family. This is your home now. You've come so far; don't let them take that away from you now."

Ronon blinked at her and shook his head as if to clear his vision. During his momentary hesitation, Carson approached him from behind and injected him using a rather long and painful looking syringe. Ronon staggered a moment before he fell and Elizabeth saw, in that brief second before he hit the floor, the rage left his eyes. Whatever had taken control of him had let go right before he lost consciousness.

They had all just taken a breath when Teyla's eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed.

"Oh, bloody hell," Carson muttered.

--/--

Elizabeth folded her hands on her desk, ignoring the paperwork before her. So much had happened in such a short period of time, if she sat back and tried to mull it over, she was liable to lose her mind.

Carson had kept Ronon and Teyla in an induced coma; it seemed the only way to prevent them from causing harm to themselves or to others. But the solution was only temporary - and even in that state, they were still slowly mutating into something Carson couldn't identify.

The only thing he'd been able to say, with any kind of certainty, was that it was not the same type of retrovirus mutation that had activated in John. As Rodney and Zelenka had first surmised, whatever the energy beam did, it did not involve a living agent, though what exactly it did involve remained uncertain. Though John had seemed relieved that it wasn't a biological mutation, it was not the best news - at least John's status had been curable. With this ...

Plus, there was the continuing problem of the ever encroaching Wraith-like walls of the infirmary. Though the progress had slowed somewhat, it was still threatening to overgrow the room within a few days.

She raised a hand to her temple, rubbing it gently. If there was a break - just _one_ break - it might give them all a little hope. But for now, there was no resolution, just the endless waiting that seemed to plague them more often than not. And anything that had her science, medical _and_ military teams stumped was not something easily...

"_I'VE GOT IT_!"

Elizabeth looked up, flinching slightly at the sound of Zelenka's voice. She briefly smirked as she noticed McKay running to catch up, obviously feeling slightly outdone by his Czech colleague.

"I've got it," Radek repeated, dropping a laptop smack down in the middle of her files. "Look!" He pointed at something she recognized as a list of ingredients.

"Radek?" She blinked confused, glancing up at him.

"Right there." His finger moved halfway down the list of elements she was, at first glance, unfamiliar with. "We completely missed it the first time around. This could explain -"

"Give me that," Rodney snapped, yanking the paper off her desk. "You can't even gloat properly. You don't give away the ending before the build up."

"Rodney," Elizabeth said sternly. This was no time for an ego war. "What did you discover?"

"Well," Rodney said, backing away from Zelenka, who was struggling for the paper. "What is the one thing you need to create a Wraith-human?"

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "Is this a rhetorical question?"

"Oh, come on. Work with me."

"Well, when Colonel Sheppard transformed, it was because of a retrovirus Carson created from a combination of Iratus Bug and human DNA. So - DNA?"

Rodney snapped his fingers. "Close. The Ancients weren't working on retroviruses like Carson's. But they were working on something that mutates just as effectively if applied to organic material."

Elizabeth frowned. "Something else that mutates?"

"Not exactly," interrupted Zelenka, snatching the paper back from Rodney. "Something that restructures, so to speak." He handed her the list. "Look again, Doctor Weir."

She scanned the list. Suddenly, one of the ingredients popped out. She glanced up at them, wide-eyed. "Neutronium? There was neutronium in that egg?"

"Yes. A rather significant amount," Zelenka replied cautiously. "The same metal used as the base element in replicator nanites."

Elizabeth sat for a moment, letting the words sink in. She tried to stop the disturbing crawl of her skin at Radek's mention of nanites. She had never been able to let go of the unease she felt with them in her system, even if they were inert. Mentally, she gave herself a shake and focused on the task at hand.

Standing up, squaring her shoulders and facing Radek and Rodney with a determined look, she said, "Okay, gentlemen, what are our options?"

"Run, screaming in panic?" Rodney replied, giving her a wide-eyed look.

"That's not helping," she retorted. "Dr. Zelenka?"

"Well, based on what we've been able to analyze so far, it appears that these nanites may be different in structure and purpose than the ones that were used to duplicate the Ancients on Asuras. They are much closer to the ones we found here, in the ancient lab, which caused the virus."

"They're contaminants?"

"Not exactly - but they're not as complex as the Asuran nanites."

"We believe their purpose may have been research oriented," Rodney said, all traces of sarcasm gone. "Perhaps to repair or to clone."

"What we believed initially - that the egg was emitting an energy beam - was wrong. It was emitting a beam filled with nanites. And it appears now that this device _was_ actually created by the Ancients, but it was created to test and sample the only other advanced sentient population in the galaxy."

"One they were _very _interested in."

Elizabeth frowned, trying to absorb what the two had just explained. "You mean this thing was designed to study the Wraith?"

"That seems very likely," Zelenka said.

"And with the nanites inside, it was sort of a double experiment," Rodney replied. "The Ancients didn't have to dirty their hands with the Wraith. The nanites collected all their samples for them, and we're talking _everything_ - language, culture, breeding structure -everything. It's like the black box Sheppard mentioned, only one sent out to both conduct _and_ collect the research."

"Which is why it appeared that the Wraith were at first a part of this," Zelenka added, smiling. "All the data it had collected inside the egg appeared at first to refer to this experiment, when, in fact, it was referring to things the Wraith were working on at the time the data was collected. The Ancient you found was the nanites analysis of the data; the Wraith language part of the samples they collected."

"Which is why it didn't appear to refer to any 'experimentation'. It had nothing to do with this."

"So it wasn't a Wraith trap?" Elizabeth asked.

"Entirely Ancient. Which is not necessarily a good thing."

"But if its purpose was to collect Wraith samples, then why did it mutate Teyla and Ronon? Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't general data collection supposed to be fairly innocuous?"

"Didn't I just say it wasn't a good thing? It appears that the nanites they used weren't perfected yet - as though we're _surprised_, given their track record."

"Which means they may have been doing more than just taking samples." Zelenka added.

"Let me guess. They possessed artificial intelligence, like the Asurans?" Elizabeth replied.

"It appears so. Nowhere near as developed of course, but enough to be able to draw some of their own conclusions about the data. Interpreting it for themselves, and trying to develop it. For what purpose, however, I don't know."

"I think I do," Elizabeth said quietly.

Rodney and Radek gave her duplicate incredulous glances. "What do you mean?" Rodney asked.

"When I was studying that data, I ran across something odd. In the Ancient, it appeared to be something like a journal entry." She tapped on her data pad, pulling up the information. "'_Our latest tests upon the species have proved enlightening…we have discovered their genetic superiority rivals those seeded by the Creators. Initial assessment requires further experimentation_.'"

Elizabeth looked up. "I think the nanites were a little closer to their Asuran cousins than the Ancient planned. They didn't just analyze data. They applied it."

--/--

John paced softly through the quiet control room, glancing down at the gate. Atlantis sometimes felt empty at twilight, with most of the expedition signing off and only the regular rotation of marines on duty.

He tossed a wave to Chuck, who met his salute with a slight nod. John sometimes wondered if the gate tech ever slept - he always seemed to be at the console - doing what, John couldn't even begin to guess.

The door to the balcony slid open; as he'd expected, Elizabeth was leaning up against the railing, watching the sun as it set beneath the ocean's endless horizon.

Rodney had given him the rundown of the newest findings about the egg; he didn't understand most of what the scientist had run on about, but he did recognize one word – nanites - and knew immediately he needed to find Elizabeth.

She turned at the sound of the door opening, tossing him a less than confident smile. "Hi."

"So," said John, somewhat uncomfortably, unsure of what to say next.

Elizabeth relaxed a bit and gave him a knowing smile. "I'm fine, John. Just ... processing." She winced slightly at her word choice, and then continued. "I have Carson checking Teyla and Ronon to detect if there are any nanites in their system. We've had so much confusing information that I wonder what level of them we're dealing with. The section of Wraith ship in the infirmary could perhaps be explained by nanites; we know the Asurans used them to build." Elizabeth gave a frustrated sigh and crossed her arms.

John came to stand beside her at the balcony, mirroring her pose by leaning against the railing. "We just can't seem to get away from those little bastards, can we? If they're not mutating us into _them_, they're mutating us into something else we hate."

Elizabeth let out a frustrated laugh. "Well, that's one way to put it. I'm not sure which is worse."

"That's probably the scariest part," John said softly, staring out over the ocean, a grim expression on his face.

"What?" Elizabeth looked at him warily, unsure she wanted to hear what he had to say.

"The fact that Ronon and Teyla aren't just facing our worst nightmares - it's the fact that they're facing them _combined._" He turned to look at her, worry evident in his face.

Elizabeth knew where he was going. It was the same path she had been walking, ever since finding out about the nanites. She asked anyway, desperate to hear him say the words that would confirm her feelings. "What do you mean?"

John gave her a ghost of a smile and put a gentle hand over hers, which was now exacting a death grip on the balcony railing. "Me mutating into some sort of Wraith bug and you fighting off those damn machines. Ronon and Teyla are up against _both_ of them. And, each of them alone was enough to almost do us in."

Hearing the words spoken out loud hit Elizabeth in the chest and nearly knocked the wind out of her. She tried to take a steadying breath before she replied, "First, you need to quit crawling into my head and hearing me think, it's bad enough most of the expedition thinks we're joined at the hip, we can't have them think we're sharing the same thoughts, too."

He grinned at her, the first honest smile she'd seen out of him all day. It warmed the cold spot that had taken up residence in her chest and she found her next breath a bit easier. "Second, we have the most highly skilled scientists and doctors in two galaxies working on this problem. We have to have faith they will find a solution."

John nodded his agreement. "Yes ma'am." He was on the verge of saying more when their earpieces crackled to life.

"Dr Weir, Colonel Sheppard, I need you to report to the infirmary. Rodney and Zelenka are here and we think we've found a possible solution."

John and Elizabeth, eyes wide, responded at the same time. "We're on our way."

As they walked toward the balcony doors, Elizabeth started to laugh.

"What?" John asked.

"Now we're talking the same."

He laughed in return. "Yeah, ain't it great?"

The two leaders hurried off to the infirmary, hope for their friends building as they went.

When they entered the room, they saw Major Lorne holding a large, ungainly looking weapon, listening intently to a speed-talking Zelenka. Carson was standing next to an equally fast-talking Rodney, who kept gesturing from the odd-looking weapon to Teyla and Ronon's beds. Carson's expression was skeptical.

"Why don't I like the look of this?" muttered Elizabeth.

"Because big guns usually mean big trouble?" John remarked casually, glancing sideways at her.

She threw him a surreptitious smile, crossed her arms, and stepped forward. "Rodney, what's going on?"

Lorne glanced at her with an uncertain expression as her chief scientist gestured towards Ronon and Teyla. "We're going to try something."

"'Try something' as in 'we know what we're doing' or 'try something' as in 'let's see what happens when we blast our oddly mutating friends?' John asked, all traces of humor removed from his face.

"The former, hopefully," Rodney replied. "I'm sure you recognize this." He waved backwards towards Lorne. "It's an ARG."

"Anti-Replicator Gun? Weren't those things rendered obsolete?" asked John.

"Ah, well, yes, sort of. But these nanites aren't like the ones who've figured out the beam. They're old; they've never come up against ARG technology before. Chances are that if we blast them, this will work."

"And do what?" asked Elizabeth.

Zelenka glanced round, his forehead wrinkling. "Well, stop the mutation, of course."

"Stop the mut - wait, you guys have figured out what's causing this?" John asked incredulously. Carson shrugged his shoulders in commiseration.

"We told Elizabeth," Rodney muttered. "Nanites."

"Yes, you said nanites were involved in collecting the samples, but..."

"I didn't mention they were doing the mutating?"

"_NO_!"

"Well, based on what Elizabeth found in that journal entry, I went and systematically scanned the remaining information. She was right - the nanites _were _experimenting with the Wraith DNA. Seems they established that Wraith DNA was the superior form of humanoid in the galaxy - with the exception of the Ancients, of course - so they attempted to better 'preserve' the physical specimens by reapplying that genetic code to whatever Pegasus life-forms they came in contact with. They only analyzed the entities in the Pegasus galaxy, however, which is why none of the Earth members of the expedition have been affected."

"We don't know whether the repair ability was placed there by the Ancients - not to use Wraith DNA, obviously, but maybe as a failsafe, or if they diverged and re-programmed the code like the Asurans - but either way, the mutations are all the results of the nanites programming," remarked Zelenka.

"If these nanites have been inside Teyla and Ronon all day, why haven't they been completely transformed?" John asked. "When they infected Elizabeth -" he paused, glancing at her for a moment. She gave him a reassuring smile. "- it took the little bastards only a few hours to take complete control of her."

"I'm not sure," Rodney replied with a shrug. "Maybe they need to do more research on the host before they can assimilate. But based on what Carson's told us, only the most basic functions have even begun to change - muscle tissue, some hearing, vocal cords - hence, the weird buggy screaming."

"Teyla's Wraith DNA already in place and the fact that Ronon can't be fed on might also be factors," said Carson. "In any case, Rodney's right. I scanned them again and the little buggers are there. They're different, though, from what Elizabeth had, so they weren't easy to spot at first. In any case, they haven't assimilated yet."

"In which case," Rodney smiled and gestured towards Lorne. "One blast with the ARG ought to take care of the entire problem. So, if we're all ready here - Major, fire away."

"Wait just a moment." Elizabeth held her hands up to stop Lorne from firing. "Everyone breathe. I want to make sure we aren't grasping at straws here."

"Elizabeth, we have to do this," Rodney began with his usual lack of patience.

"Rodney, relax, I'm not asking for a two-hour debate here, just a simple inventory. Carson, Rodney, Radek, you've spent the most time researching and studying this problem. Are you _all_ in agreement with this solution?"

Rodney blurted out, before the others had a chance to speak, "Yes, now let's get on with it."

Elizabeth arched an eyebrow at him and deliberately looked to Carson and Zelenka. Zelenka spoke first. Not as adamant as Rodney, but still firm, "It is the only alternative we have been able to identify."

Carson added, "I do not believe the ARG will harm Teyla or Ronon at all. The impact may bruise them somewhat, but it will not do permanent damage. And I believe it has a better than average chance of stopping the mutation."

"Will it reverse the mutation, or just stop it from going any further?" John asked, his voice tight with tension.

"I'm not sure yet laddie, I'm taking one hurdle at a time at the moment."

Elizabeth looked to John and nodded, "Colonel, let's proceed."

John returned the nod, "I want all non-essential personnel removed from the infirmary. Carson, you'll stay here to monitor their vitals; Lorne and I will provide security within the examination room, and I want a security detail posted in the waiting area. Everyone else waits outside."

The remainder of the infirmary staff, along with the few patients they'd been treating, were removed as hastily as possible. Carson buzzed around, checking Ronon and Teyla's vitals, making sure they were stable enough to proceed.

"Carson, which one is further along in the mutation process?" asked John.

"Ronon," he replied.

"All right, then we hit him first. Lorne," John nodded at the major, who aimed the ARG at Ronon's prone figure. John drew his own gun and aimed it in the same direction. "C'mon, buddy," he whispered. He exchanged a concerned glance with Lorne, before giving the command. "Fire."

The room flared with a bluish-white light; Elizabeth turned, shielding her eyes as the ARG's beam engulfed Ronon. It subsided after a moment. John still had his pistol raised, pointed a Ronon, who remained rigid.

"Ronon?" Carson asked tentatively, taking a step forward.

The Satedan suddenly convulsed, falling down to the infirmary floor. John lowered his gun, watching with concern as Ronon struggled, heaving deep, jagged breaths.

"What's happening to him?"

"Give him a minute," Carson said, his voice firm. "I think -"

Ronon suddenly shuddered, and bits of tiny, crystalline particles began to roll off his tanned skin. He convulsed once again, coughing up more of the crystallized particles.

John moved towards them. "Is that what I think it is?"

"The nanites," Rodney replied, looking impressed. "The bonds are breaking, just like they did when we used the ARG on the Asurans."

Ronon coughed once more, blinking, then glanced up. "Shep - _Sheppard_?"

John grinned. "Hey buddy. How are you -"

A high pitched shriek suddenly cut through the room. Elizabeth turned; Teyla was perched on the bed nearest her, watching Ronon with inhuman eyes. Her expression filled with fury as she glanced around the group, tensed and ready to leap. The wraith-like walls behind her were shuddering, rattling the equipment in the infirmary.

"They sensed the change," Carson breathed, his voice shaking. "Teyla?"

John raised his pistol. "Teyla, it's alright."

She shrieked once more, the sound high-pitched enough to shatter the glass jars stored on the infirmary shelves. Elizabeth raised her hands to her ears, trying to steady herself as the infirmary itself seemed to shake with the sound. Teyla narrowed her eyes, watching her, as Elizabeth struggled backwards towards John and the rest of the military contingent.

"Stop!" Carson screamed as Teyla suddenly leapt from the bed, darting towards them with inhuman speed.

"_ELIZABETH!_" John's shout was the last thing she heard before heavy hands clasped around her throat, knocking her to the floor.

The force of the blow knocked the wind out of Elizabeth. She struggled to breathe and frantically grabbed at Teyla's hands, trying to pry them off. The Athosian gazed at her like a crazed being, eyes wild and ferocious. Elizabeth felt the pressure building and her ears began to ring, her vision becoming cloudy. She was barely aware of John grabbing Teyla from behind, desperately trying to pull her away.

"Dammit, Lorne, give me a hand!" Elizabeth heard shout. It sounded hollow, as though he were calling down a tunnel. Even as the sound of his voice grew muffled, she could hear the fear in his voice.

She felt the pressure begin to ease as Lorne joined John in restraining Teyla; felt the hands unclasp from her throat, the blood rushing dizzily to her head. She desperately tried to take air into her deprived lungs, coughing harshly as she did.

She was dimly aware of John and Lorne wrestling Teyla to the ground and shouting something at Carson. In a coordinated movement, they released Teyla and as she sprang at Elizabeth yet again, she was stopped in her tracks by the ARG. Grunting, Teyla staggered, but remained standing and continued her path. She took two steps when the second ARG blast hit her and took hold. She crumpled to the floor, shedding crystalline particles as she went, coughing just like Ronon had.

Carson, who had grabbed the ARG when Lorne had rushed to help John, dropped it, looking horrified. He ran over to Teyla, checking her vitals. Lorne stayed beside him, helping to lift her into a sitting position so that Carson could examine her better.

John, meanwhile, had rushed to Elizabeth's side as she struggled to sit up, still coughing. He knelt beside her, gently supporting her back as he said, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Elizabeth replied, her voice cracking.

Kate joined Sheppard's side as she glanced back and forth between Teyla and Elizabeth. "Are you sure you're okay?" Both she and John helped Elizabeth to stand, preventing from toppling over.

"Yes, I'm fine." Elizabeth forced as much confidence in her voice as she could but it still didn't sound all that convincing. The fact that she swayed dangerously didn't help either. "Maybe not so fine." They escorted her to a nearby bed and helped her down on it.

"Better?" John tilted his head a little, lines of concern visible underneath his eyes.

Elizabeth nodded. "How's Teyla?"

Kate took it as her cue to hurry over to her other friend on the floor and check how she was doing. "Carson?"

"Her vitals are stable," said Carson. "I need to get her under a scanner to verify the nanites are gone."

He hit his earpiece and hurriedly informed his staff to reassemble in the infirmary. Carson lifted Teyla with Lorne's assistance and placed her on the nearby bed. "Kate, can you stay with her, I need to check on Ronon."

"Of course," said Kate, smiling in relief as she pulled a chair next to Teyla's bedside.

Carson quickly verified that Ronon's vitals were also stable, and with Lorne's help, awkwardly placed the Satedan on another bed. Ronon began to stir slightly, and opened his eyes. Blinking, he groggily stared at Lorne. "Did you just shoot me?"

The young Major took a step back. "Depends. What are you gonna do about it?"

"Beware of the hugging," John said in a low tone, leaning slightly towards him. "He's big into hugging."

Lorne made a face as Ronon frowned at Sheppard. "Funny."

Teyla moaned; Kate stood, leaning over her. "Teyla? Can you hear me?"

The Athosian blinked for a moment. "Kate?"

"Yes, it's me. How are you feeling?"

"I am ... not sure," she breathed. "I feel exhausted. And my throat..."

"Well, you did do a fair amount of screaming the last few hours," John said, an assured smile on his face.

"Screaming?"

"It's a long story," Carson said, activating the scanner. "And a wee bit complicated."

Rodney raised his hands, an excited look on his face. "But really interesting. See, it appears that there were these nanites, which came from this specially designed -"

"Did we mention long? And complicated?" John interrupted, giving Rodney a wan look. The chief scientist narrowed his eyes. "Are you telling me to shut up?"

"No, if I wanted to tell you to shut up I would have told you to shut up."

"Guys," Elizabeth chided gently, her throat still scratchy. John immediately turned, his expression turning serious. "Are you still feeling alright? Carson?"

"I'll scan her as soon as I'm done with Teyla and Ronon." When Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, he smiled. "We just need to do some testing to make sure nothing got … exchanged."

She sighed. "Right. But we still have one more problem."

John looked at her questioningly, to which she responded by pointing at the walls of the infirmary. "That."

"Oh that..." he echoed. "I think I can take care of that. Major Lorne?" Evan turned in response. "Hand me the ARG."

"Sir?" Lorne picked up the gun Carson had dropped, handing it to John.

"Hang on, Major." Sheppard walked to the structure inside the infirmary, positioned himself and fired a few shots at it. At first nothing happened, but then the structure fell apart and the walls of the infirmary appeared again, undamaged.

"That was easy." Elizabeth tilted her head a little and smiled.

"That it was." John grinned. "I'll have a team clean this up and get rid of it."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

--/--

It had been far easier than she'd expected - than any of them had hoped.

Everything was easier in hindsight, Elizabeth supposed. Now, as she stared at the moonlit water lapping up against the city's massive piers, it seemed like just another incident in Pegasus. Another danger for them to face, and to overcome.

If she had her way, they'd never have to face anything like it again. But they would, and they would have to deal with the consequences. She just hoped that when problems did arise, they could face it together, as they'd done today.

The balcony door opened, and she turned slightly, hearing John's familiar gait as he walked towards her. He paused for a moment, enjoying the sight of the full moon above them.

"Hell of a day, huh?" he said softly.

"You could say that," she returned. "We've had worse."

"Have we?" He stared at her cheekily, smart aleck grin in place.

She crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "Yes. At least we didn't have to deal with any live bugs this time."

That smile ticked down a bit, his expression going flat. "Right. Small favors, I guess."

She smiled. "I guess."

"So…" he drawled out, leaning up against the railing. "Apparently Rodney hasn't had anything to eat in 24 hours."

"Really? I couldn't tell. He's only mentioned it about seventeen times in the last half-hour."

"Yeah, he must be tired. Anyways, Ronon and I thought we'd join him for a little dinner-breakfast-whatever. Interested?"

Elizabeth paused for a minute. "I don't think so. I'm a little exhausted myself."

"According to Ronon, Teyla's down there - has been for a while. Apparently she can't sleep."

She turned, searching his eyes. The concern was evident; while he might never say anything to that effect, one thing she knew for certain about John Sheppard was how much he cared about the people he was close to.

"Might be a good chance," he continued, "to, you know…"

"Share dinner-breakfast-whatever with a friend?"

He grinned as he straightened. "Exactly."

--/--

The cafeteria was almost empty when Kate walked in, apart from one table where she noticed the lone figure of Teyla pushing her food around her plate. She continued her way down to the counter, picking an apple from the fruit basket, and made her way over to the only other woman in the room.

"Teyla?" Kate said as she moved to the opposite side of the table. "Can I join you?" Teyla nodded, pushing her plate aside as she watched Kate taking the seat across from her. "How are you?"

Teyla smiled, more out of politeness than anything else. "I am fine."

Kate nodded, not convinced. Teyla was obviously lying. She took a bite from her apple and waited a few seconds before she continued. "Really?" she tilted her head, gazing at the Athosian.

Teyla turned away and sighed, shaking her head slowly. "I feel bad for attacking Elizabeth. I apologized but I still feel ... _guilty_."

"And I forgave you." The duo looked up, finding Elizabeth standing next to their table holding a cup of coffee. "Can I join you?"

"Please." Kate pointed at the chair next to her.

"Thank you." She sat down. "Teyla, you weren't quite yourself. You shouldn't beat yourself up over attacking me." Elizabeth sat her cup down, but held her hands wrapped around it. "And to be quite honest, I'm sort of glad it was you and not Ronon who took a swing at me."

"That would have been..." Kate tried to come up with a decent description but failed.

"Messy?" Elizabeth suggested. "Without a doubt."

"Hello ladies," John grinned widely as he and Ronon joined the women at the table. "Trouble sleeping?" He glanced at every one of them, as they debated on an answer, obviously not wanting to admit to that little fact.

"Always," Kate replied diplomatically.

"We were thinking about watching a movie." Ronon said. "Want to come?"

"Can we choose?" Elizabeth glanced from Ronon to Sheppard.

"Of course." John replied, little hesitance in his voice. "But nothing too ... cheesy."

Elizabeth blinked and then nodded. "We can do that."

"_Maybe_," Kate added for good measure, seeing John and Ronon look at each other in panic at once. "Just kidding." Oh, how she loved to freak them out.

"Let's go then."

--/--

Elizabeth sighed, following her friends out of the cafeteria, watching them as Kate continued goofing around with the two men, scaring them to the point where they almost decided that the women choosing the movie might just not happen.

Moments like these reminded her that they would be okay. Whatever threat may come, and whenever, they would handle it - and for now, they were just fine.

--/--


End file.
